Without the Benefit
by Leigh5
Summary: I woke up and couldn't see anything. Couldn't talk either. Plus my hair was sandy. Set before/during Storyteller and after Chosen.


Sunnydale was always a freaky place. I mean I never understood what was going on with all the disappearances and shit. Hell, sometimes if I thought about it long enough, I was even glad to actually make it to high school. Do you realize that I had five of my close friends get attacked in three years? By "dogs." Only two of them survived. We made our own little "obviously we are awesome" club because we were the only three out of our group to make it to our senior year.  
  
It sounds cold, but there's no way to live here and not have mostly distant relationships. Which is sad and depressing but there's only so much you can take. So it was we three. Me and Rebecca and Lisa.  
  
Me being Zack, that is. The only boy in an all girls group. It wasn't so bad either, 'cause I remember these girls were hot. Not that that matters much anymore.  
  
Lisa had long dark brown hair and beautiful golden skin, the most exotic looking girl at school. Rebecca was blonde and curvy. Wow, she was seriously the definition of hourglass. Hourglasses envied Rebecca.  
  
I, of course, went out with both of them. Separately, even though the together thing would have been the greatest thing ever. Amanda was with me for all through sophomore and junior year, and I went with Lisa during senior year. Well, most of senior year. Everyone left before we could graduate.  
  
At least, I think everyone left. I can't recall some of what happened. The last thing I can really give details on was a day of school. Maybe it was Wednesday, but I'm not too sure. All I know is that everyone and everything imaginable was going insane. There was this giant riot in the hallway, and I even heard from Lisa that this kid exploded near the foyer. Exploded! What kind of crazy shit is that?  
  
Anyway, Lisa and I found ourselves alone in a janitor's closet trying to get away from all the psychos. We might have gotten locked in. Or I might have accidentally jammed the doorknob.  
  
Either way I was in the dark. With very little room. With Lisa.  
  
I had fun.  
  
It didn't last because the damn bell rang. She jumped away from me in shock, and gazed up at me with big brown doe eyes. I wonder if I looked good to her or if I was just a friend she grew to like because of my personality. Actually, I really don't wonder that. I was just lucky to even be with her.  
  
Anyway she was staring into my eyes when she said, "I wanted you to know that I think. . .I think whatever we have is bigger than like." Me being the big dope that I am had no idea what she was saying. She might have meant, "I like like you. Like a lot of like." I hope she meant love. I didn't get a chance to ask her. So we un-jam the door, she looks at me with this happy little smile and heads off to class. I almost followed her. Instead I went down into the basement. Everything is hazy after that.  
  
Damn, Lisa was hot.  
  
When I'm alone now, which is pretty much always, I miss her. I'm always in the dark so that's not really a requirement of reliving the last time I'd ever see her.  
  
Occasionally I would try and remember Rebecca and me, our last moments. Once I dreamt of us together at the door to the basement with the people behind us swirling around in erratic movements. She smiles at me and raises her eyebrows before continuing in her little devil may care voice.  
  
"'No Students Allowed' my ass."  
  
That's all I get to before everything goes blank. It's that stupid sign on that door that is the last thing I see.  
  
A couple of weeks ago I woke up on sand. My back was burning from the heat of the sun, and my arms were so very sore. Like I'd been hammering away at something and not ever taking a break. I couldn't really tell what condition I was in out in the middle of nowhere, so I started to walk.  
  
And walk.  
  
And walk.  
  
I hit the road at one point, praising whatever god was listening. Not with actual words, you know. Just doing a little skip-jump on the pavement. Amazingly I was very agile and balanced, something I hadn't been my entire life. Ironic if you think about it.  
  
I don't know when I felt someone walking behind me, but after about ten minutes of silence the guy finally spoke up.  
  
"Are you-do you know where you're going? I'm afraid I haven't the slightest inkling of where I am. It appeared as if someone left me in the middle of a desert. If you would be so kind as to tell me where we are. . ." Oh hey, a fellow sand dweller. An apparently British sand dweller. He reached out a hand to touch my shoulder, and it was weirding me out how I knew that. I turned and grabbed his arm before he had a chance to touch me.  
  
It's funny how even if you can't see, you can tell when someone is recoiling from you in disgust.  
  
He shouted and tried to pull away, but I was too strong for him. Another added bonus perhaps? "Your eyes! What happened to your---" The talking stopped for a moment. I guess he wanted to compose himself.  
  
"Were you robbed?" No reply. "Are you. . . able?" I remained in my position. "Can you speak?" At that I decided to have pity on him and opened my mouth.  
  
That probably wasn't the best form of pity, because he jumped back twice as hard at the tongueless state of my mouth. Yeah I know, Random British Guy. I was surprised and grossed out too.  
  
He decided to help an unfortunate victim of torture out. That's what he kept repeating. Except he didn't say torture, he would get to the word and shudder to a stop. Squeamish, those Britons are.  
  
We walked on in more silence; he was following me even though I obviously couldn't see where I was going. Eventually we came to a gas station. It was open and we both decided to cool off inside the convenience store. He kept making remarks like, "Fascinating" and "In all my days."  
  
Not many gas stations in Britain, you know. They use petrol.  
  
There was a cashier selling bus tickets over in the corner, and the man suddenly realized that he had money in his pocket. "Remembering bits and pieces, I am." He handed me enough for a ticket and a meal.  
  
Stepping ahead of me in line, he ordered a ticket for himself. "One for LA." Tapping my shoulder, he handed me a pen. "Write where you need to be." His voice sounded wary and I could have sworn that his accent was changing.  
  
So I took it. I knew where I was supposed to go. It was calling to me like I needed to be there. Cleveland.  
  
He took the paper and read it. I know he read it because he said, "Cleveland? I hear that's a little like Sunnydale." I shrugged. He ordered my ticket, handed it to me, and walked outside.  
  
Later I was sitting on the bus with I think a few other people. Some girls. The driver had stopped along the way and picked them up. One of them stopped by my seat and looked at me.  
  
"Holy shit." I tilted my head up towards her, trying to place her voice because it sounded like she knew me.  
  
"What do we do?" Another female voice, this one was a little worried.  
  
I heard more than felt the knife on it's way down. Super senses have its drawbacks.  
  
"What we always do." 


End file.
